The present invention relates to a conveying device comprising a plurality of articulated, individually movable conveying elements, in particular for conveying products for a feed of packaging machines.
Conveyor systems for conveying products, in particular for use with packaging machines, are known from the prior art in various embodiments. The German patent specification DE 10 2010 027 925 A1 discloses, for example, a conveying device comprising an articulated conveying element, which can pass through very tight radii in a circumferential guide rail by the provision of hinges between individual sub-components of the conveying element. Wear and any slipping motion of the guide rollers are prevented here in the curved region. A disadvantage with this conveying device is however that an iron reflux plate has to be interrupted for design reasons due to the conveying elements which are constructed from individual sub-components that are connected to one another in an articulated manner. If, as is the case in the US patent specification U.S. Pat. No. 6,876,896 B1, a continuous iron reflux plate is used, limits are then placed on the possible radii in a circumferential guide rail so that a space requirement for this conveying device is very large. This is particularly disadvantageous in applications in the field of packaging technology.